Oak Creek's two delegates to the state Legislature, Republican Mark Honadel in the Assembly and Democrat Chris Larson in the Senate, end up on different sides of many issues.

But they came together this week to testify on an Assembly bill that changes Wisconsin law regarding battery deposits.

In his e-mail newsletter, Larson said current law requires any business selling a lead acid battery to accept the consumer's used battery and charge a maximum $5 deposit.

Larson said that's no longer the market value and large corporations have been ignoring the $5 limit for years. The proposal would require a deposit of at least $5 for all businesses, which Larson said ensures the market sets the core amount and that small businesses are not competitively disadvantaged.

Lead acid batteries are found in cars, trucks, motorcycles and some lawn and garden vehicles. It is illegal to burn or dispose of lead acid batteries in Wisconsin.

The idea for the bill came from Mike Moeller, the president of Remy Battery Co.,  and has received support from other local businesses in the community, Larson said.

"Rep. Honadel and I jumped at the opportunity to work with our local companies to draft a bill that would solve a problem plaguing our small, neighborhood businesses," Larson said.